Mental health is a matter of serious concern in India, particularly because of the taboo and stigma around it. In India about 1 in 10 children and school going youngsters. Mental health condition includes disorders like anxiety, behavioural disorders, self-harm, depression and substance abuse to name a few.
There has been a rise in the cases and the situation now is quite worse than it was some three decades ago. Today you may see umpteen incidences associated with involvement of children in substance abuse, self-harm, anxiety, depression and more. There has been a spike in cases of learning disabilities and autism as well in the last few years. There is also a widespread surge in sexual abuse of children. Due to the mental health challenges faced by children, their families are subjected to stress and collapsing as well.
We have always believed that childhood days are the most carefree days of our lives. But, may be that was the scenario long back. Today our lifestyle has changed drastically and this includes our food habits, exposure to various digital mediums, lack of outdoor sports and games, to name a few. We need to understand and accept that fact that children are basically the most vulnerable ones and they do not have inbuilt capabilities of coping mechanisms or problem solving. Children may feel left out, bullied, insecure due to the circumstances or about themselves.
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
Primarily, we have to compassionate and try to see how it feels like to be in their shoes. What is also important is to not ignore any suspect worthy symptoms because early intervention can go a long way in shaping up a better future for your child. As parent you need to consult a professional child psychologist (clinical or counselling) or even your child’s school counsellor. Keeping faith in your doctor and patience is also of as much importance.
As per Psychologist from New York with a doctorate in Psychology research shows that the early the intervention the better. Particularly with evidence based interventions, earlier intervention can give better results as these are the years for laying foundation of a better future. She even says that mostly the barriers against early intervention are ignorance of the parents or the cost factor at times.
*Sourced from the Internet
